It was a quick read that left me wanting more of the world. I felt like the author did a lot of explaining, but we didn't actually get to /see/ any of it.

I originally received an ARC (Thanks NetGalley!) but didn’t make it past 40%. I picked up the audiobook once it was released. The present tense made it difficult to become immersed in the book. The magic system and the curse left me a little confused. But I adored Marigold, Lottie, and the land spirits. 3,5 ⭐️

I read this entire thing and kept hoping it would get better but it never did. One of those times I regret not DNFing because the way I felt about it at 10% is the same as I felt at 100%. Actually, no, I take that back. It started going downhill when Lottie became the love interest and just never recovered. (I should clarify that most of the reason I picked this up was because of the sapphic love story.) I was wavering between 2 and 3 stars for the first half but the second half solidified it as a 2.

Most of all it is boring. There are moments that are interesting and in theory I liked the honey witch vibes, but vibes is pretty much all we got. The spells and magic are all accomplished by putting honey on things, mixing honey with things, and eating honey. Literally. There's a recipe book that says to mix certain varieties of honey with other ingredients and then do random things with the result (eat it, wear it, paint with it, put it under your pillow...) and bam! magic happens. How? Why? I know the title is Honey Witch but I didn't expect it to be quite so literal.

Except for when she decides to just randomly regrow damaged plants with her innate magic and then has to refresh herself with honey, I guess.

There was SO MUCH POTENTIAL for cozy found family vibes and they just fizzle. Like, There are moments, when Lottie and Augustus join Marigold at the cottage. And then Augustus meets his soulmate and like, we could have beautiful found family with the four of them! But no, Augustus immediately drops his best friend who is terrified of abandonment. He disappears off page almost immediately after meeting his soulmate and that's that. Then it's just Lottie and Marigold and they don't have the chemistry or charisma to hold up the book on their own. Their entire relationship is based on antagonism and lust which doesn't really work for me. Also they double down on the lust again and again when it literally keeps trying to kill Lottie.

Also the plot twists were incredibly obvious from practically the beginning and by the time they were revealed they really fell flat because it was like, that's it?

*Thanks to Redhook for providing an early copy for review.

To say I loved everything about this would be an understatement. Cozy, magical AND sapphic? The perfect combination. The plot and characters were so perfectly balanced and written in a way that felt so real and easy to follow and enjoy.

"I feel like I've been searching all Fall for my next favorite cozy fantasy, and I think this is the one! I really enjoyed the atmosphere throughout the entire book, and the descriptions of Innisfree felt as magical as the honey on it. Although a decent amount of time passes within the book, and I never minded when the story started meandering or moving slowly. Marigold's Honey Witch magic is used for big things and small, both for life-saving and for creating lipstick. The characters were a bit much at times (looking at you, Lottie), but that didn't hinder my enjoyment. I LOVED the descriptions of honey and the magic done with each type. There is also a romance present, but I think my enjoyment would've been the same without it as it was largely the atmosphere and magic that won me over. I can absolutely see why this book would not work for some given it is, for the most part, a slow story with minimal stakes until around the 70% mark. But for me, it was exactly what I was looking for.
4.5⭐"

Honey, magic, and the cooling fall weather all blended together to create a cozy experience in The Honey Witch. A bit of a shift from what I normally read, this book offered nice cozy feelings with a sense of "cottagecore" that readers who enjoyed books like Legends and Lattes will appreciate. Bees and honey power this unique magic system, and the combination of self-discovery, sapphic love, and empowerment really made this a charming and easy read.

This was a good conflict-ridden and unique book, but a big part of the plot is that the people who have a natural artistic talent are the most respected and appreciated in society, and I couldn’t get behind that kind of setting, because I’ve been through too much as an artist and had to make a lot of sacrifices due to being an artist, for that kind of a world to make any sense to me without it being an actual commentary on how society works.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields was a magical (and fairly cute) read! I'd been looking forward to this book ever since I saw it on here, and after reading it I recommended it to my best friend, who also loves cozy reads like this one! The story blends fantasy, romance, and a bit of mystery in a way that kept me turning the pages. The characters are fairly likable, whereas the world-building is very, very charming. I loved the sweet, witchy vibes and the bit of romance woven into the plot. That being said, the definition of romance that they adhered to in this book seemed very narrow, which was a bit disappointing to me. All in all though, if you're into light fantasy with a touch of magic and whimsy, this is definitely worth at least checking out! I'd be interested in reading future titles by this author.

A BIG thank you to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read The Honey Witch for free in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! Of course I loved the sapphic witch vibes, but what really stood out to me was the granddaughter-grandmother relationship. I wish more books included that kind of relationship.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields is a sweet and enchanting tale that blends magic, nature, and personal discovery. The story follows a witch whose talents with honey and bees extend far beyond brewing potions, weaving themes of healing, friendship, and self-growth throughout its pages. Shields creates a world that feels both cozy and alive, perfect for readers who enjoy gentle magic and character-driven stories.

While the plot may feel a bit slow at times, the lush descriptions and warm, inviting atmosphere make up for it. It's a heartwarming read for those who love a touch of magic in their everyday lives. A solid 7/10 for its charm and cozy vibes.

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

The story is sweet and definitely good. However, the pacing felt rushed and as though the author felt everything needed to be included in the set up right away. While some books do take way too long for set up, the pacing could have been spread out a little more here.

I did love the queer representation in this book. Even though no titles are actually given, I feel like the representation of bi, pan, and lesbian was really beautifully done. Witchy books with lineage at stake tends to not lend itself to any relationships other than heteronormative for progeny purposes. This was well done.

This book was magical and beautiful. I devoured it as one would devour the best honey. I loved the characters and the world building. It is a super slow burn of a novel, but it's worth it in the end. It was a little predictable, but I loved it all the same. It is rather political and thick with the social commentary. I think the idea of being in the secluded world of bees and magical creatures would be truly magical.

If you love a slow burn, magical story, this is it.

The Honey Witch is a respectable debut novel. It's beautiful and atmospheric, and it's a much-needed sapphic romantasy. Mari is likeable if not a little sombre at times, but who wouldn't be if they were cursed never to find true love? Shields explores Mari's curse in an interesting way, something that made me like this much more as it progressed. The idea of how such a curse would work is rarely explored and I highly commend Shields for doing so. Otherwise, The Honey Witch often struggled with slow pacing, which instead of enhancing the cozyiness drew away from it bordering on the-- dare I say-- boring. The real story didn't seem to start until around 20-30% mark, and again it is quite a slow burn. Ultimitely makeing this book level out to being just... okay.

It is without a doubt that Shields had a gorgeous vision for her honey witch, but is not quite there yet. That is not to say, she is still a very promising debut author and I am interested to see where she goes from here.

Special thanks to Redhook Books for the eARC.

I thought this was a really fun early fall read. I enjoyed the harder topics this book tackled. i also really did like the historcal setting and also found the characters to be really fun. I also enoyed thge world bulding. i did think the pacing of this book was a bit off and the plot seemed a it rushed!!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

First as always, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Now, review time.

This was another DNF for me. I know, the cover is stunning and the promise of the blurb drew me in but, in a word, it’s boring.

I was bored the entire time.

So we’ve got a 21 year old who’s not like other girls because she’s not interested in getting married. She wants to lay out at night under the moon and feel freedom. Alright, fine, being forced into marriage sucks, I’ll give her that.

But the character and her family kind of annoyed me. Especially her mother. She was cagey, aggravating. I don’t know, she just rubbed me wrong. Which, fine.

What really got me is that we’re supposed to be seeing her learn about her magic and working it and there’s a curse and-and, and it didn’t matter. The beginning felt rushed and the second she’s off with her grandmother, the writing got boring as hell.

There were themes I did enjoy in the bit that I read, like reproductive health care being a given. Apparently there’s a queer love story wrapped up in here which I did not get to because I just got so bored.

I wish I could have finished this book. But I set it down for months and when I picked it up, I just set it back down again.

Maybe it was a bad time for me, and if you enjoyed it, good. But for me, I didn’t.

I guess I’ll give this one 2 stars. There was a lot of potential but I couldn’t force my way to find it.

The honey witch is a cozy sapphic fantasy. I don’t read a lot of cozy fantasies but I’ll read almost anything if it’s sapphic.

I thought this book had an interesting premise. I can’t say I’ve read any other books that have a similar magic system. So, that was definitely unique to this book. The main character and the main love interest have a grumpy/sunshine dynamic. There are a lot of cute and interesting creatures in this book. I feel like this book would translate to screen really well and would definitely watch this if it was a movie.

What I liked:
- grumpyxsunshine relationship
- the word that the fmc resides in
- the romance portions of this book

What I didn’t love:
- it felt like not a whole lot happened in the plot

I received an ARC of this book to read and give my honest review.

The Honey Witch was a fun enjoyable magical cozy mystery book. I loved the relationship between marigold and her grandmother so very much. I was immersed on the scenes of where the pair lived. That being said I did not enjoy the love storylines in the book between August and Frankie, and marigold and lottie. I just don't enjoy Sapphic love stories. I do feel the book drug me in and I was invested in seeing how it would end. I did feel with all the backstories and climatic building that it did end a little abruptly.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read the arc of this book. The review above are my thoughts alone and we in no way prompted.

i wanted to find the honey witch whimsical and sweet but unfortunately it veered into overly saccharine territory with odd, rushed pacing (not at all what i expected from a cozy fantasy about a honey witch) and an illogical plot (does the author… know where babies come from??)

also the twist was painfully obvious and maybe try to keep your hands off of each other if your true love will literally die as a result.

…i did enjoy the bees.

I’ve been trying to read this book for months, but something about the writing doesn’t connect with me and I’m finding it very difficult to read. After seeing more reviews from similar reviewers who finished this book but didn’t like it, I have decided not to read the whole thing.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.